Manufacture of compressed-guncotton charges.



J. A. CARTER. l MANUPAUTUBE 0F GOMPBESSED GUNUOTTON CHARGES.

' APPLICATION 'FILED Nov. 5, 1907. 903,840. f Patented Nov. 17,1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J.' A. CARTER. MANUFAGTURE OF GOMPRESSBD GUNGOTTON CHARGES.

APPLICATION FILEDNOV. 6, 1907.

' PatentedNov. 17, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Vif/72765565 QW 5 stances they were Accordin J lengthwise as heretofore.

JOHN ARTHUR CARTER,

OF STOWMARKET, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW COMPANY LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MANUFACTUBE OF COHPRESSED-GUNCTTON CHARGES.

No. 903,84o.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ARTHUR CARTER,

a subject of the King of Great Britain, re

siding at Stowmarket, in the county of Suffolk, England, engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to the Manufacture of Compressed- Guncotton Charges, of which the, following is'a speciiication.

This invention relates to the manufacture of compressed gun cotton charges for explosive projectiles, torpedoes, submarinemines and the like. Heretofore it has been usual to obtain these charges by compressing gun cotton pulp in molds bypressure exerted in a directionlongitudinal with respect to the molds, whereby blocks of the compressed gun cotton were obtained of more or less cylindrical shape. In some instances these :0 blocks were sufficiently large to form the charge in one solid piece, in other instances they Were in the form of disks or segments, a specified number of thesebeing assembled together to form one charge. In both insubsequently finished in a turning lathe to form a charge of the requivsite shape and dimensions to fitthe explosive projectile or the like with which they were intended to be used.

to this invention instead vof manufacturlng the charges in one solid piece or in a considerable number Iof independent pieces, they' are made inlongitudinal sections or halves of the requisite shape to lit 5 the explosive projectile or the like, the said sections or halves being obtained in-molds by subjectingfthe gun cotton pulp 'to pressure exerted ina dlrection transverse to the longitudinal axis of the charges instead of Thesaid; longitudmal sections or halves together by means yof collodion solution or the like so as toform a-single body for insertion as one piece into jectile or other object with which they are to be used.k Byv thus manufacturin the charges they do not require to beturne in a lathe to render them of proper the explosive projectile `or the' reason ofthe small number of component l parts of which the charges consist, they are vrendered very convenient to handle. l

In order that 'the said invention may be like and by clearly understood and readil carried into` y described 1 effect the saine will be more Speeication of Letters Patent. .f Application mea' November 5, 190'?. serial No. 400,786.

. charge.

may be: attached the explosive proi shape to fit Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

4.with reference to the ac ompanying drawings, 1n which ExPLosIvas 1 refl is a plan of a two-part mold suit able or use in manufacturing the improved charges.` Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the sections of the said two-part mold. Fig.

.3 is a vertical section taken on the line l, 1

of Fig. 1. Fig. 3a ,is another vertical section taken approxlmately on the line l3 3 .of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a plan of a modified form of the mold intended for use in forming a number of my improved, charges simultaneously. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the sections of the said mold. Fig. 6 is a verf tical section taken on the'line 2, 2-of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a general elevation of the hydraulic press for use in compressin the gun cotton 1n the molds. Fig. 8 is p an of the same. Figs. 9 and l0 press at right angles to each other. Fig. 11 isa perspective view showing a complete are vertical sections of. the

tion and intended for a shell, the parts of the charge being shown separated. In all these figures like letters of reference, indicate similar parts.

Referring to Figs. l, 2 and 3, A A represent the two-part mold whichg is made of Ysteel or other suitable metal lhaving itsl interior llower portions a a formed to the sha of the exterior contour of one half of the That is to say if the charge is intended for use with an explosive projectile I or shell,

the said mold has 1ts lower interior portions of semi-cylindrical 1form terminating at one end in a lsemi-ogival shape to suit the nose of the shell This mold after cotton pulp is subjected to pressure in. an hydraulic press, like that shown at B in Flgs.

as shown in these figures.

7`to 10, the head b of which is adapted to fit'- the interior of said mold and is flat on its active face except at the part corresponding .with the base portion of the charge, where it may be provided with' a protuberance b* to form the recess or cavity c in the charge for Ythe reception of the Vdetonator as shown in Fig. 11. The resultingl compressed pulp obtained by this operation constitutes one half of the charge, two of such charges (as shown in-Fig. l1) being combined together to form the complete charge. The'two vertical halves A A of the said mold are held together by transverse screws a2 a3 a4, so that after the completion of the compressing operation, the

being filled with'the gun halves of the moldcan be moved apart or '.thus enable 'the comp result in the removal of too much of the moisture from this part during the compressby the dotte pulp the ing operation, the said mold may be provided with a vertical transverse partition adjacent to the semi-o ival end of the mold, as shown lines in Fig. 2, so that during the filling of the `mold with the gun cotton space a adjacent to the said semiogival end is left empty. Prior to the com# y' pression of theI pulp in the press, the said partition is removed, so that during the actual compression, the ulp is able to reach the semi-ogival end o the mold without enduring a pressure materially greater than that exerted upon the other portion of thepulp in the mold.

The head b of the hydraulicpress in which the pulp is subjected to pressure is provided with a frame b. which is loosely suspended by guide rods b2 depending from the head b reinforcing the mold and aiding it to resistand which as the ram ascends, fits around the mold A A and moves upward with it, thus the lateral pressure it has to sustain. 1 This frame b also permits of illin pieces being introduced therein when mols of smaller dimensions than the largest sizes are being acted upon, thus`l enabling one press to be used for molds of dierent sizes. In conjunction `with provided whereby the mold can be carried beneath the head b and removed .therefrom by mechanical means. That is to say the said mold may be connected b means of chains, cords or the like D, with suitable winding or similar gear for moving it along a table d to a position beneath the head, and

after the compressin operation has been performed, the said mo d can be removed from beneath the head by a reverse operation, to a position on the table where the compressed charge can be removed from the mold- (see rixz).

The said table 'may also be rov1 ed w1th an opening d at the point wherethe mold arrives after the'compressing operation, so that when the sections A A of the mold have been separated by the slackening of the aforesaid screws a2 a3 a4, a platform or the like Z2 can be caused-t0 ascend and carry the charge from out of the moldfinto a suitable osition to permit of its ready removal. r instead of the platform d2 suitable lever mechanism may be provided for elevating thepressed charge from the mold thesaid press, means may be' into a position where it anbe readily re moved by hand. v A

- In some cases more than one mold may be employed for each press'(as shown in Fig. 7 wheretwo are employed) the said molds being then connected together by a chain D or the like so that as one mold is carried beneathvthe-head b of the press by a movementv 'l to the left in Fig. 7, the other one lwill also be carried .to the left -over the aforesaid opening d in thetablev d. After the removal of the compressed-charge as aforesaid from the left hand mold, the right hand mold, which has in the meantime beensubjected to pressure, can be removed from the press by a movement to the right over an opening d* and. the left hand mold (re-v charged with ther gun cotton pulp) brought into its place beneath the head b, the right hand mold containing the-previouslycompressed charge having its charge removed by a platform d2* or lever mechanism as stated above. t 4

For facilitating the manufacture of the mold it may be provided at the end remote from the semi-ogival end, with an opening to permit of the introduction'of the tool used for turning the semi--ogival surface, said opening being subsequently closed by a divided plug a (see Figs. duced into the said opening. When the said mold is constructed to enable more than one char'e to be compressed at a time, `it may be madeD as shown by Figs. 4 to 6 inwhich case it comprises three members A A A2 instead of two as inthe previously described mold' shown by Figs. 1 to 3.

W'hat I claim'and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In the manufacture kof compressed gun cotton charges, means whereby the` gun cotton pulp can mold in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axisof the charge, so that the `said charge can be made'in separate longitudinal sections or halves of a shape suited to that of the shell or other object with which the vcharge is to be employed.

2. In the manufacture of compressed gun 1 to 3)-intro-` be subjected to pressure in a cotton char es, a mold composed of separa- I ble longitu inal sections having the interior lower portions formed to the shape of the exterior contour of one half of the charge and provided with perforations or drainage channels, the upper part of said mold belng open to admit a press-head which has a projection to form a cavity or recess 1ny the charge for the reception of the detonator. l 3. In the manufacture of compressed gun lcotton charges, the combination with lthe mold of means whereby undue pressure is avoided at the nose of the charge during the compressing o eration. Y

4i. In the manu acture of compressed gun cotton charges, the combination with .the

mold of a detachableverticaltransverse partition adapted to be placed nthe mold adjacent to the semi-ogival end of the latter during the filling of the mold with the gun cotton pulp, so that after the removal of the partition a space is left for the pulp to enter durinv the compressing operation Without en uring a pressnre materially greater than that exerted u on the other p portion -of the pul in the mo d..

5.y In the manu acture of compressed gun 'cotton charges thecombination with a press and a mold of means for enabling the mold to be carried beneath the press-head and removed therefrom mechanically, and means for mechanically raising the charge from the moldv after the compression has been effected and the mold removed from the press.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in presence of two Witnesses. f

JOHN ARTHUR GARTER. c Witnesses: v

L. G. DUF'F GRANT,

Av. H. BERRY. 

